Jane Chu, who earned a master’s in music from SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts in 1981, will be nominated by President Obama to serve as executive chair of the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Jane’s lifelong passion for the arts and her background in philanthropy have made her a powerful advocate for artists and arts education in Kansas City,” Obama said in the White House press release. “She knows firsthand how art can open minds, transform lives and revitalize communities, and believes deeply in the importance of the arts to our national culture.”
> Read about Jane Chu’s nomination in the Los Angeles Times
Chu currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. She has been with the Kauffman Center since 2006. As the performance home of the Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Kauffman Center hosts community presentations from classical to contemporary dance, Broadway, children’s theater with local, national and international artists. Since its grand opening in September 2011, more than 1 million people from all 50 states in the United States, as well as international countries have already attended an event at the Center.
> Read more about Jane Chu’s life in From the archives: Kansas City Star
Chu’s appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
>Read the official White House press release
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